Keep in mind that Tatis suffered a broken wrist in a motorcycle accident during the offseason. When asked about the date of his accident, Tatis responded with a question: “Which one?” Which motorcycle accident? In the same offseason? And now on top of that, Tatis has been suspended for next May. He will miss the entire 2022 season, mostly due to poor decision making. There is a phrase I learned from a coach a long time ago that has stuck with me for years. “Check what you can check.” You can’t control the referees, you can’t control the weather, you can’t control how the opposing team plays. However, you can control your decision making, among other things. Tatis had a motorcycle accident last off-season and apparently decided to continue riding the bike. He injured his wrist and didn’t tell anyone until he reported to camp in March. Those are bad decisions that kept Tati out of the Padres lineup until August. And now, on top of that, we’ve learned that more issues with his decision-making have resulted in him sitting out another 80 games. Padres general manager AJ Preller had some words that were much harsher than what we’re used to seeing from front office staff when addressing one of their stars. “I think hopefully from the offseason until now, there will be some maturity,” Preller said, via The Athletic. “And obviously with the news today, it’s more of a pattern and something we have to dig into a little bit more. I’m sure he’s very disappointed, but at the end of the day, it’s one thing to say it. You have to start by showing it in action. you”. “I think what we need to get to is a point in time where we trust,” Preller said, via the San Diego Union-Tribune . “Over the last six or seven months, I think that’s been something we haven’t really been able to have.” Severe? Probably, but it’s pretty relevant. Starting pitcher Mike Clevinger had similar feelings on the matter: Tatis is only 23 years old, but his father played parts of 11 seasons in the majors. The idea of being a responsible big leaguer shouldn’t be new. As one of the most talented players in baseball, Tatis will have to be accountable to his teammates. Remember, they were in a playoff spot last year and collapsed in the division. They played well in his absence and were poised to add significant talent to chase a deep playoff run and perhaps the Padres’ first World Series title. Instead, they will have to do without him. He’s also in the second year of a 14-year, $340 million contract, meaning he must be accountable to management and ownership. As Preller mentioned, Tatis hasn’t been able to do that so far. The best bet here is the PED suspension that scared Tatis right off the bat and he will grow a lot between now and when his suspension is served, moving forward with better decision making. Then again, shouldn’t the first motorcycle accident have been the wake-up call?
